Journey Into Mysterious Action: Thor-El Year One
by Mikel Midnight
Summary: The origin and early years of the Superman/Thor amalgamation, following up on a series started by Hotspider.
1. From Out the Green Dawn

JOURNEY INTO MYSTERIOUS ACTION #1: THOR-EL YEAR ONE "From Out the Green Dawn"

From: hotspider, edited by Mikel Midnight

Speeding throughout outer space there is a hammer. The technological artefact contains no obvious visual significance considering all the other, more luminous objects in outer space: meteors, black holes, stars and so forth. Nevertheless, this hammer is going to have as much significance on one man's life as any typical star.

Smallville, Kansas:

The muscular and dark-haired 18-year old Clark Blake is mowing the lawn of a field belonging to the small farm owned by the Blakes. It is a peaceful Saturday afternoon and it is so sunny that the rich green grass reflects the sunlight like a mirror. His tanned skin glistening in the heat, everything is normal for Clark Blake until he hears a crash about a quarter of a mile away from him. Deciding to investigate this crash, Clark runs toward where he believed the origin of sound was.

Upon arriving at the site of the crash, Clark notices a hammer inside a large hole apparently caused by its impact. Clark picks up the hammer and suddenly a bolt of lightning strikes him. Clark is transformed into a mighty being clad in a navy blue bodysuit; emblazoned in the center of his tunic is a red diamond shape with a 'T' inside it. He also has a silver metal helmet. Suddenly, a hologram of a short and fat person with a long white beard dressed in a green robe and gold metal helmet appears.

"Greetings," it says, "I am Odin-El and thou art apparently worthy of holding the hammer Mjolnir which endows thee with great power."

To be continued


	2. The Power of Thor-El

JOURNEY INTO MYSTERIOUS ACTION #2: THOR-EL YEAR ONE "The Power of Thor-El"

From: hotspider, edited by Mikel Midnight

"Thy hammer endows power of super-strength and speed, beyond human intelligence, invulnerability, flight, super-vision and hearing, heat vision and weather control." remarks Odin-El. "But hark to these words, your powers come to you from yellow solar radiation, they necessitate air and if thy hammer is not in thy hand exceeding a minute, thou shalt become a mortal again."

"As thou art ignorant of thy hammer's origin, let me divulge. Once in the planet known as Kryptgard there was a mighty nation-state of Asgard. There the sun was red, so no creature was endowed with thy powers save for super-vision. For months I predicted that Kryptgard would explode, and I suggested that we all depart from the planet, but nobody listened. Finally, the day came when Kryptgard was about to explode and I prepared a hammer which would turn anyone noble enough to lift it into a Kryptgardian. I sent the hammer to thy planet because thy sun was yellow, so I knew it would also impart unto thee the greater powers of Kryptgardian heritage. Now hark to one of these goal, thy noble spirit is to either use thy mighty brain to upgrade Earth's technology and play no more role in human affairs, or mayhap defend this planet but do not influence her technology. Mayhap thou shalt choose to do both or neither, but if so thou shalt lose Mjolnir's mighty power. Now, my spirit disembarks" says Odin-El, and then his hologram disappears.

After hearing these eternally influential words, Clark Blake, now known as Thor-El, flies into a forest with a dense tree population. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning hits him and he regresses back into Clark Blake and the hammer is transformed into a wooden cane.

Inside the Blake's Home:

Clark Blake returned to his home which was filled with sunshine penetrating the clear windows. Clark walks up to his parents Martha and Jon and says to them "If I may please see you up in the attic."

To be continued


	3. The Story of the Century

JOURNEY INTO MYSTERIOUS ACTION #3: THOR-EL YEAR ONE "The Story of the Century"

From: hotspider, edited by Mikel Midnight

Attic of the Blake's:

Clark displays his wooden cane to his mother and father, recounting the words spoken by the alien hologram. Following those words, Clark kneels down, tapping his cane on the ground, and then standing straight up. Suddenly a small bolt of lightning hits Clark and he becomes Thor-El. He taps the floor with the base of the hammer, and once again he resumes his mortal form. "That is not all, a hologram of an alien named Odin-El told me that I was to either protect Earth with my mighty power or use my superhuman intelligence to upgrade Earth's technology. If I did both or neither, Odin-El stated that I would lose my power. So Ma and Pa, which step should I choose?"

Jon Blake, Clark's father, responds, "Humanity needs to advance by itself. If he progresses too quickly, he could use his technology unwisely. So my son, at my advice you should serve as Earth's protector."

Martha Kent-Blake continues, "Just look at humanity's nuclear weapons. If you advance humanity's technology, they could construct even deadlier weapons."

"Well, I will respect your wisdom, as I always have," replies Clark, " and due to your advice I shall serve as Earth's protector."

3 years later:

Inside the Blake residence, Martha places in her collection book a Metropolis Bugle article reading, "'Norse god' redirects comet from destroying city!"

Clark walks into her home office and says, "Mother, did you see the latest Metropolis article?"

Martha responds, "I sure did son." She opens her collection book again, looking at random headlines clipped from other Metropolis newspapers: "Street gang's bullets bounce off of a 'Norse god'!" "Runaway train stopped by a 'Norse god!" "Apartment fire put out by the breath of a mighty man!"

Inside the office of J. Jonah White:

"Okay Clark, tell me one good reason why I should hire you as a Planetary Bugle journalist." says the tall white-haired man with a cigar always in his mouth, J. Jonah White, owner of The Planetary Bugle.

"This is all the reason," mentions Clark Blake as he hands an article reading "Interview with 'Norse god' by Clark Blake."

Jonah skims through the article and says "I'm impressed Clark, congratulations, on a trial basis at least you have the job."

3 hours later:

Clark is typing the article "Hulkllo escapes from army prison, Thor-El in pursuit of robot."

Jimmy Parker remarks to Bettey Lane "Jeepers, Miss Lane, that there always seems to get the scoop on Thor-El, now that's something you don't see every day!"

Bettey Kent replies "Some people are simply fast typists, Jimmy."

As Clark is finishing up his article, his superhuman hearing hears bank robbers driving away from pursuing authorities. He enters White's office and says "Chief, you stated I simply need to have the article in by Wednesday, do I need to work full time today?"

White replies "Okay Clark, but remember I need the article first thing tomorrow for the afternoon edition."

"Will do, Chief."

Outside the Planetary Bugle in Metropolis:

In a dark alley a bolt of lightning hits Blake and he turns into Thor-El.

"We've lost those damn cops now Lou!" remarks one of the bank robbers, Mike, to his partner.

Suddenly the robbers' car comes to a halt and Thor-El says "You have not lost me!"

"Waste him" yells Lou, as the two robbers shoot at Thor-El.

The bullets bounce off the 'Norse god,' and he uses his heat vision to melt the criminals' guns. He then grabs the thieves and the money. Thor-El drops the crooks off at the Metropolis police station and returns the money to the bank from which it was stolen.

ReedCorp:

The brilliant Reed Luthor reads Clark Blake's interview with Thor-El in one of ReedCorp's laboratories. Upon learning about the powers he has displayed, Reed remarks "Quite impressive, but I have been preparing for this so called 'Norse god'!"

Following these words, the man looks through a window displaying a muscular bald man with purple skin and dressed in a bikini bottom.

To be continued

Thor-El= Superman + Thor  
Clark Blake= Clark Kent + Don Blake (with Peter Parker elements)  
Hulkllo= Metallo + Hulk  
Reed Luthor= Lex Luthor + Reed Richards  
Bettey Lane= Lois Lane + Betty Brant  
Jimmy Parker= Jimmy Olsen + Peter Parker  
Planetary Bugle= Daily Planet + Daily Bugle  
Odin-El= Jor-El + Odin  
J. Jonah White= Perry White + J. Jonah Jameson


	4. On the Trail of the Future Man

JOURNEY INTO MYSTERIOUS ACTION #4: THOR-EL YEAR ONE "On the Trail of the Future Man: A Tale of the Hundred Years' War"

From: Mikel Midnight (with a touch here and there of Neelnat's SuperThor.)

Rakdur Zarrko read the news article again, grinding his teeth. His twin brother Jondur had just been elected Secretary of Science by the ruling Government Council at their headquarters in New Gotham City, for his work with an experimental time machine. Zarrko swore to himself that he was not going to let his sibling get all the attention again. 2099 was going to be different; it was going to be the year he was going to make a name for himself.

He returned to his lab. In their separate chambers lay the two substances he had been studying for years. A small stone, glowing green: Nornonite, a fragment of the lost planet Kryptgard. A small grey chip of metal: the remains of the hammer of the 20th century super-hero Thor-El. From behind his camera-eye, he manipulated the fragments into the field of a samarium-cobalt magnet to fuse the pair together.

Zarrko shielded his eyes from the resulting glare, visible even through the optic lenses. When the light subsided, he watched, amazed, at the recorders. The energy levels generated by the fusion were almost off the scale. He sighed. The new substance had fantastic powers which, accumulated in sufficient quantities, would enable him to establish himself as dictator of the entire planet Earth. If only he could obtain a greater quantity! If only ...

He looked at the newsreader again. And this time, he smiled.

It was simplicity's sake to walk into his brother's laboratory, convincing the guards that he was his twin. Despite his disgust, he had to admit that he was impressed with the usefulness of the portable time-travel device, and easily incorporated it into a planet-suit. He had done his research into the 20th century legends. Thor-El had been interviewed extensively over the course of his career by two reporters, Clark Blake and Bettey Lane. Zarrko set the spatial index for the astronomical location of the planet Kryptgard, and the chronal index for 552 AD.

He arrived in the planetary orbit, and consulted his historical map. There ... the capital, nation-state of Asgard. He adjusted the controls on his planet-suit and slowly entered the atmosphere. He had to be careful; the suit was solar-powered, and the red sun of this system wasn't as efficient an energy source as Earth's own yellow sun. He landed quietly in an unpopulated area, and shed the suit to begin the long trek towards Asgard. His face lit with awe as he approached the gleaming, mile-high towers of the city, an immense red tower in the center, dwarfing them all. As he passed through the city gates, he began to contemplate the next step in his mission, the residence of the planet's leading scientist-king, Odin-El.

Suddenly, he found himself surrounded by flame. Zarrko screamed in dismay. A voice spoke to him from the fires. "An alien, eh? Didst thou think thine entrance into our planet's atmosphere would go unannounced? Reveal thyself to me, mortal". Terrified, Zarrko babbled out his mission,

"Ahh ... thou art from the future ... and Midgard." The flames disappeared, and Zarrko found himself confronted with a heavy-set bald man sporting a thin mustache and clad in green and yellow. "Well met, my name is Loki-Ur and it appears I am in thy debt."

Zarrko swallowed hard, "My debt?"

Loki-Ur nodded, "Thou hast brought me information, that Odin-El is not so foolish as we might have thought, and that our planet will explode, a fate I wish to escape. In return, thou art seeking a device of Odin-El's ... something only I can help you find."

Zarrko said, a bit shakily, "I agree with the exchange."

Loki-Ur said "Excellent," and grabbed Zarrko by his collar. Zarrko panicked as Loki-Ur leapt an eighth of a mile into the air, dragging him along. As they entered farther into the city, they passed other Kryptgardians traveling similarly under their own power. Gods, Zarrko thought, what sort of supertown have I entered into? How could I have thought I could accomplish anything here on my own?

Loki-Ur finally leapt onto an open porch. "Here, the laboratory of our enemy. Even as we speak he is facing the Supreme Council, practicing his pointless demagoguery, and his wife Freyja sleeps. We are quite safe."

The pair entered the lab which was more advanced than anything Zarrko had ever imagined. They soon located the hammer, and Loki-Ur hefted it easily, passing it to Zarrko, whose shoulders ached under the weight. "It appears Odin-El is still in the processing of fashioning this device, but it will have to do. So, my friend, all that is left is for me to transfer thee back to thy travel equipment, no? And then to begin my own plans for constructing a craft which will allow me to escape to Midgard, myself."

Zarrko barely had time to voice his agreement, when Loki-Ur grabbed him by the collar again. They leapt through the city and beyond, and Loki-Ur deposited the human next to his planet-suit. Zarrko slipped into it, eyeing the Kryptgardian warily. "Where to next, my friend?" asked the latter.

Zarrko set his controls. "Back to the Earth of my own time, and then to the past. To manufacture the quantities of the isotope that I need, I require the use of a large amount of cobalt, the supplies of which have been nearly exhausted by my own time. But the late 20th century saw the greatest quantity of refined cobalt available."

Loki-Ur watched Rakdur Zarrko disappear into his own time and place. Perhaps I will see thee there, he thought, and returned to his lair to begin his own travel plans.

* * *

Clark Blake sat at his desk at the Planetary Bugle in Metropolis, New York, typing up the details of Thor-El's recent capture of a pair of bank robbers. He smiled to himself, his fingers churning out the prose at 100 wpm ... much slower than his alter-ego would manage. With crime down 59% due to his presence, an altercation like this wasn't even front-page news any more. Blake the reporter was unhappy about the lower frequency of scoops he was able to achieve, though he did enjoy the medical beat which allowed him to use some of the knowledge he had acquired in med school. He missed that life, and missed being able to help people without transforming to his alter ego ... and it was such a fine thing for a farmer's son to distinguish himself that way. But he knew he could save more lives as Thor-El, and a doctor's schedule didn't allow him the flexibility he needed.

J. Jonah White burst into the office. The tall white-haired man with a cigar always in his mouth, was the owner of the Planetary Bugle but liked to exert editorial control, which pleased the paper's titular editor George Taylor not at all.

"Bettey Lane!" he called out. "Yes, Chief," said the attractive brunette who had dominated crime reportage on the Planetary Bugle for years.

"Lane, get out to the United States Army base on the edge of town, between here and Gotham City. Someone's broken into it, and stolen a cobalt bomb ... and he seems to be carrying the hammer of Thor-El!"

Bettey grabbed her coat, "I'm on it!" Clark stood up, leaning heavily on the cane he used as part of his disguise. "Chief, let me come with her. You remember I did the first interview in Metropolis with Thor-El, I feel I have a vested interest in this story. Besides, it might be dangerous."

The woman smiled at him, "I'm sure I can handle myself." She removed her small pistol from its lockbox in her desk and placed it in her purse. "I've been covering these stories when you were still wet behind the ears, farmboy," she said affectionately.

Clark sighed as he watched her leave; it was probably just as well, he could get there faster under his own power. "Chief, I think I'll take advantage of not having to work full time today." White replied, "Okay Clark but remember ... this is Lane's story. No trying to scoop her."

"I wouldn't dream of not playing fair with Bettey," Clark quipped, and limped out to the elevator ... his limp turning into a run when he was out of view. "I'll just change in this abandoned alley," he thought. In the dark alley Clark knelt down with his cane, striking it on the ground. As he stood straight up a small bolt of lightning hit him and he became Thor-El, and soared skywards towards his destination.

* * *

He was stunned by the wreckage surrounding the base. Slowly, he descended, looking for the man who appeared to be leading the attack force.

"Captain Jack Selegue," the man said, extending his hand. "I hope you're here to clean up this mess."

Thor-El took the man's hand and nodded. "What was the cause of all this, Captain Selegue? I understand there was some sort of villain using a hammer like mine?"

Captain Selegue nodded. "He was capable of weather control ... he created these green tornadoes and lightning storms which devastated my attack force. Right now we've got him under guard, he's holed up in the storage facility where we have several cobalt bombs."

Thor-El pondered. He had considered the possibility it might be some rogue clone of his, created by Two Face's Double Helix - DNA Project, but what explained the green energy? He had never come across its like before.

He entered the facility. Zarrko was directing what appeared to be a large humanoid robot which was stacking cobalt bombs into the corner of the room.

"Well, my friend, would you care to explain your actions?"

Zarrko peered at Thor-El. "I was almost hoping you'd show." He held up a hammer which resembled Thor-El's almost exactly, save for its strange, green aura. "I am Zarrko the Future Man, and I have a surprise for you." He started to twirl the hammer in his hand, generating a miniature green whirlwind headed directly towards his opponent.

Thor-El used his own hammer to block it, but as the green energy came close, he felt his super-strength start to fade. "By Rao," he cried out, instinctively calling on the mythological sun god said to be the father of all Kryptgardians, "What is happening?"

Zarrko laughed, "It's called Nornonite, the one substance which can bring low a Kryptgardian. I have fused it with your own hammer, stolen from your creator Odin-El before Kryptgard even exploded, with the use of my own portable time machine."

"That's impossible," Thor-El cried out, desperately using his heat vision to weaken part of the building's support beams, causing it to crash down on Zarrko. He soared upwards, trying to place distance between himself and the deadly hammer.

Zarrko ran out of the building to see Thor-El hovering above him. "This hammer may not turn me into a Kryptgardian, but by fusing it with Nornonite I can generate more than enough fantastic power to bring you down!"

The Army corpsmen retreated as the base became filled with warring electrical storms, black and white lightning from the skies, and a terrible green from the ground. Captain Selegue cursed to himself from afar, as he saw the green winning.

Zarrko laughed as Thor-El crashed to the ground. "Now," he raised the hammer above his head, "time's up." He brought it down in a crushing blow, and it landed twelve inches to the right of Thor-El's head. The future man blinked, confused, and raised the hammer again. It came down on the left side. "What's happening?"

A dark figure with a large 'X' over his torso swung down on a rope. "I'm happening. My name is Bat-X, and I'm afraid I can't let you kill that man."

Zarrko raged, attempting to resist Bat-X's telepathic attack. In desperation he shouted out a command, "Robot, set off the cobalt bombs!"

Bat-X blasted Zarrko with an intensified telepathic attack in an attempt to halt the command, but it was too late. Zarrko fell to the ground as his robot began manipulating the controls of one of the devices. Bat-X leapt over to the robot in an attempt to disable it. He succeeded, but was too slow to interrupt the setting of the first detonator. He cursed to himself silently, and opened up a belt-radio. "Captain Selegue, prepare to emergency evacuate the area!"

"I'm not sure that'll be necessary," said a voice behind him. Thor-El flew over and grabbed the cobalt bomb from the hands of the unmoving robot, and sped into the air. From a distance, Bat-X watched as Thor-El threw the bomb into the air then used his hammer to create a vortex around it. When the bomb exploded, the energy was channelled harmlessly into space. Thor-El returned, alighting next to the new ally and the fallen foe.

"We make a pretty good team," said Bat-X.

"You think so?" said Thor-El.

Zarrko stirred. "What ... who are you two? Who am I?"

Bat-X knelt down and peered into Zarrko's eyes. "Amnesia. It appears I did some slight damage attempting to cut off his attack. Wasted effort, and now he's suffered from it."

Thor-El said, "You saved my life ... that wasn't wasted." He picked up the hammer, now with its Nornonite energy spent the apparent twin to his own.

Bat-X examined the artefact. "I scanned his mind. It's fantastic, the same hammer you're holding but from a different temporal era. What are you going to do with it?"

Captain Jack Selegue approached the pair, "The only thing you can do." His features started to shift and change. "Never fear, Captain Selegue is quite safe. You may call me ... the Space Phantom Stranger."

Thor-El nodded, "I've heard of you."

The Stranger said, "Those I represent, The Quintessence of Realities, have become concerned over the recent disruptions of the time stream." He took Zarrko by the hand and gently lifted him up. "This one is no longer any threat. I shall return him to the authorities of his own century, who will find some harmless occupation for him."

Thor-El said, "Thank you. But there is still the question of the second hammer."

The Stranger looked skywards, then back to Thor-El. "You have to restore the timeline. You must travel back to the Kryptgard of the past, meet your creator, Odin-El, and return his stolen property."

To be continued

Thor-El= Superman + Thor  
Clark Blake= Clark Kent + Don Blake  
Rakdur Zarrko the Future Man= Rak Durr the Future Man + Artur Zarrko the Tomorrow Man  
Loki-Ur= Loki + Jax-Ur  
Bettey Lane= Lois Lane + Betty Brant  
Planetary Bugle= Daily Planet + Daily Bugle  
Odin-El= Jor-El + Odin  
J. Jonah White= Perry White + J. Jonah Jameson  
Bat-X= Batman + Professor X  
Space Phantom Stranger= Phantom Stranger + Space Phantom


	5. Return to Kryptgard

JOURNEY INTO MYSTERIOUS ACTION #5: THOR-EL YEAR ONE "Return to Kryptgard"

From: Mikel Midnight (with apologies to Jerry Siegel)

Thor-El looked upwards at the red sun of Kryptgard. Behind him, the Space Phantom Stranger had long departed, leaving him to his thoughts. Around him lay the vast city of Asgard. He reached down to pick up a small stone, feeling the strain as he crushed it to powder. His head felt like it was stuffed with cotton. Odin-El had told him that his powers were due to Earth's yellow sun; he could feel that his body still possessed more might than a normal human's, but his strength was dulled and his senses were nearly Earth-normal. He had tried earlier to fly, and found that too was denied him. Fortunately, he seemed able to understand the language of the planet's inhabitants.

He spent hours wandering aimlessly. After some experimentation, he found that he could leap as high as the other Kryptgardians, a power he was glad remained to him. As he continued his explorations, he nearly collided with a short and fat person with a long white beard dressed in a green robe and gold metal helmet. Thor-El gasped, recognising his creator, "Odin-El!"

The scientist stared at him. "Dost thou know me, clumsy one?"

Thor-El stumbled over his words. "My, ah, name is Thor-El. I am affiliated with the Kryptgard Security Force. It appears we have recovered some stolen property of yours."

Thor-El held out the duplicate hammer. Odin-El's eyes lit up, "Where didst thou find my device?"

Thor-El improvised, "It had been stolen by a young rapscallion, Rak-Dur. It was no great trouble to track it down, once we discovered the theft. I was on my way to thy domicile to return it, in fact."

Odin-El took the hammer from him happily. "I am in thy debt. Please, join me in my home, Hlithskjalf. I know my wife Freyja would be happy to meet you. She was most upset over the loss of this, ah, heirloom. A duplicate of an ancient weapon from Asgard's early days of war and strife."

Thor-El nodded emphatically, "I would be delighted! Please, lead on."

Odin-El leapt up onto his porch, Thor-El following behind him. As they arrived, two small black spheres hovered into view. [[Greetings, Master. Company is in the hall. Would your guest care for a beverage?]] Odin-El turned to Thor-El, "My house robots, Hugin and Munin." He said to the pair, "Yes, a flagon of mead for us both. Freyja is entertaining in the sitting-room? I shall see her there."

[[Yes Master]] the spheres said mechanically, and hovered off. Thor-El followed Odin-El through the domicile, his eyes widening at the incredible technology on display there. All that was forgotten however, as he entered the sitting room.

Odin-El smiled, standing beside an attractive and slender older woman with greying hair and a conservative gown, "My wife, Freyja." Freyja smiled at him, "Thou art most welcome in Hlithskjalf, sir." "And of course," Odin-El continued, "you must know Sif Lerrol, the most famous emotion-movie actress of our time."

Standing before him was the most hauntingly beautiful woman Thor-El had ever imagined. She was tall and voluptuous, clad in a white tunic and tights with violet trim which matched her boots. Her hair flowed down her back in long golden waves.

Thor-El swallowed hard, fighting for words. "Um ... no ... I haven't had the pleasure."

Sif Lerrol smiled at him and his heart skipped a beat. "I am quite delighted, sir. What is thy name?"

"Thor-El, ma'am. I am sorry I haven't seen any of thy movies."

"Well!" Sif Lerrol said in mock-offense, then chuckled softly, "That's actually quite refreshing, and makes a change from the usual flattery one gets."

Odin-El said, watching the two of them, "Freyja, Sif, this young man helped me recover a valuable piece of property which had been stolen. He's with the Security Forces. His name is Thor-El ... I believe he may be a distant cousin"

Sif Lerrol ohhed, intrigued by the shy, handsome stranger, but Thor-El quickly demurred, "I am certainly not an agent ... I just help them out occasionally."

Odin-El stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Perhaps I can repay you with something more material then ... I am actually in need of an assistant for my lab. But perhaps we can discuss this later." Hugin and Munin appeared, each holding a pair of flagons apparently suspended in anti-gravity force-fields. "Freyja, come, there is something in the laboratory I wish to show you."

Freyja winked at her husband, taking a flagon and handing one to him as they departed, leaving Thor-El and Sif Lerrol alone. The remaining house robot served them each, then hovered off somewhere.

The two of them talked, long into the night. Thor-El hardly noticed the hours as they sped by. It amazed him that he would have to travel through hundreds of years and untold billions of worlds to somehow find such a woman. As their lips touched goodbye, their hearts thrilled with a passion compared to which the fiery forces within Kryptgard's unstable uranium core might as well have been frigid glaciers.

As she departed, Thor-El made his decision. The timeline had been healed by his returning the duplicate hammer to Odin-El. His job was done. "Bettey Lane loved me because I was Thor-El, the great superhero," he thought. "But Sif loves me as an equal. On Kryptgard I'm perfectly ordinary." If she would have him ... he would reconcile himself to staying here, spending his remaining days on the doomed planet with the woman he loves, as they awaited the oncoming destruction together.

* * *

He spent the next several weeks with Odin-El, studying the fantastic science of Kryptgard and learning its history through its great historical epic the Kryptgardedda, much of which detailed the influential ancestors of his creator; Ymir-El, Bor-El, Vili-El and Ve-El among others. Odin-El gave him a mimir-pillow to help him with the tests at the missile base where they worked.

He watched as Odin-El made the final adjustments to the hammer which would one day be his, two centuries in the future. Fortunately, the very environment of Kryptgard seemed to function almost like the hammer itself, so he was able to retain his Thor-El form without constant physical contact with his own version of the hammer.

Odin-El and Freyja were glad to hear that their guest believed in Odin-El's theories, as well. Together they formed a plan: as Odin-El continued to petition the Science Council, they would coordinate with sympathetic souls to construct a massive 'space-ark' which could convey a million inhabitants of the planet into space. For all its advanced technology and sophisticated astronomy, space travel on Kryptgard was still in its infancy, but Thor-El knew enough of the basics of Earth science so that, combined with Kryptgardian atomics, such a project seemed feasible. He looked forward to a sweet future with Sif Lerrol. The great city of Kandorheim was chosen. The future looked bright.

He stood in the control room booth, his arm around Sif Lerrol, stroking her long gold hair. "My lady," he whispered to her. She smiled at him. "Yes, my love?"

Thor-El swallowed hard, feeling more nervous than any time since he met her. "I've been working with Odin-El for quite some time now. I am currently constructing a home of my own, Bilskinir. Once it's completed, would ... wouldst thou walk with me to the Palace of Marriage? I know the money I make is nothing compared to thee as an emotion-movie actress, but ... "

She put her finger on his lips, "Hush," she said, then wrapped her arms around him tightly, kissing him. "Yes, of course I will!" The science staff in the room cheered.

Thor-El grinned, "And look ... Odin-El is arriving right now, see? There's his eight-engine airship, Sleipner. Let's go tell him the good news." The happiness we will share as husband and wife, Thor-El told himself, will more than compensate for whatever happens later.

Arm-in-arm, they walked to meet the elder scientist, but their joy was dimmed when they saw his expression. "Sir, why art thou so sombre on this grand day?" Sif Lerrol asked.

Odin-El looked at the pair. "I have been monitoring the space surrounding Kryptgard, making maps to determine the best trajectory for our space ark. We are being approached by a vast craft and ... it does not bode well."

Thor-El tensed. His time here had been free from battle. And now, the happiest day of his life must be marred by an alien invasion? "Dost thou recognise it?"

Odin-El hesitated. "Yes. It is the city-eater. It is Galactiac."

They looked up, to see the craft descending from the skies, blotting out all sunlight. Thor-El shouted, "No! I won't allow this!" Sif Lerrol reached for him, but he bolted out the door.

Thor-El leapt into the twin-engine chariot he had been using, and activated a device he had hoped would never be needed; he switched a button which transformed it into a 'super car,' the megingjardir energy belt surrounding the chariot charged it with yellow sun radiation, restoring his full power so long as he was within it.

Odin-El and Sif Lerrol dove into the control room to watch, helpless, as Thor-El attacked Galactiac's equipment as it continued to break down the city of Kandorheim and its inhabitants, recording every detail down to the molecular level even as it converted them to energy with which feed Galactiac. The immense robotic figure finally took notice of him, and with a blast of energy sent him flying off into space.

Thor-El cursed, his craft not designed for off-planet flight. If he could somehow work the controls to coordinate a re-entry ... his thoughts were interrupted by a hand on his shoulder.

The Space Phantom Stranger said, "Congratulations, Thor-El. You have done well."

Thor-El cursed him, "I haven't done anything! I must get back there! I must save my wife!"

The Stranger shook his head sadly, "No. Your role is not yet complete in your own time. If it comforts you, Sif Lerrol is far enough away from the destruction of the city that she will survive it. At this point in time, Galactiac's hunger is not so great, and he devours mere cities rather than planets. But her time is in the past ... and your time is in the future."

Thor-El screamed in despair as the pair of them hurtled forward through the time-stream.

* * *

Later, after Odin-El and Freyja comforted the sobbing Sif Lorrel, the great scientist took his wife away privately.

"He was the greatest of us," Odin-El said. "I have made my decision. I will use his genetic template to build into the hammer Mjolnir, which I shall send to Midgard. Whoever finds it, if he worthy of holding the device, shall be endowed with great power ... and the very visage of Thor-El. Though Kryptgard may die, Thor-El shall live on."

To be concluded


	6. Enemies Mine

JOURNEY INTO MYSTERIOUS ACTION #6: THOR-EL YEAR ONE "Enemies Mine"

From: Mikel Midnight (with a touch here and there of Neelnat's SuperThor.)

Clark Blake watched uncomfortably, holding the flashlight in place, as Bettey Lane toyed with the rusted lock. He whispered, "You're sure this is a good idea?"

Her eyes never left the complex work in front of her. "Of course it is, farmboy," she responded, her voice hushed, "You heard the recording as well as I did. And ... ha!" She grinned up at him as the lock fell open.

The two of them entered the abandoned Gotham City warehouse. Clark sealed the door behind him quietly, and limped after Bettey as she laid their packs on the ground by what appeared to be the center of the open space, and began to assemble the metal detectors. She handed Clark one, "Don't bail out on me now, farmboy, I need you."

Clark nodded in the darkness, "I'm not going anywhere." The two of them started the sweep, moving in slow concentric circles outwards from the center. Every so often one would hear a familiar buzz ... invariably producing a coin, a bottle top, a piece of scratch metal. Anything that looked suspicious went into a small plastic bag. Finally, "Bettey!" Clark called out in a stage whisper.

Bettey marched over, her flashlight sweeping before her. She found him kneeling on the ground, shining his flashlight on a small object he held gingerly in his open palm. "What did you find, farmboy?"

He smiled grimly, "Paydirt, city gal." Her breath caught as she looked at his find: a fragment of what appeared to be a sharp blade, oddly curved, and broken off at one jagged end. "You sure did, Clark," she breathed quietly.

She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a photograph. It was a new print of what appeared to be an old publicity photo. In it was a powerful looking man clad in a war-era military jacket and riding trousers. His features were covered by a feral-looking mask, but he was grinning widely for the camera. His arms were crossed, and from the backs of each glove protruded a single long, curved, clawlike blade. The shape of the blade in Clark's hand and the blades in the photo matched exactly. "You sure did," she repeated, and held Clark's find up against the photo of the man whom history would call the Golden Age Dark Claw.

* * *

The pair of them sat in Bettey's Metropolis apartment after, sipping coffee. Jimmy Parker sat with them, typing madly into a keyboard. "Ok Jimmy, play the recording back."

A young man's voice, earnest and panicked, came over the speaker, the quality rough and scratched with age. "Come quick," the man said, "It's terrible ... the airplane factory on the end of town ... they have hostages ... they're demanding Dark Claw ... no police ... they say they'll kill the hostages ... please ... "

Jimmy looked up at the pair, "That's all she wrote."

Clark sipped the coffee again. "That's all she wrote for Dark Claw as well. He vanished and this entire affair was purged from police records until Bettey received this tape. So ... what should we do, go to the current Dark Claw with this? See whether he wants to investigate whatever happened to his predecessor?"

Bettey shook her head emphatically, "Maybe later, but right now, this is *our* story, and I don't plan to give it up. Jimmy ... log into the Planetary Bugle's audio archives and see if you can find a voiceprint match. At least that'll be a start. I'll brew up some more coffee."

The familiar sound of the modem filled the room, and Jimmy started the search. The three of them sat around in a circle, glancing at the screen occasionally, drinking and batting around wild theories. Finally the search stopped. Jimmy jumped over to the monitor, "Only one audio match." He selected a random listing from the search outcome, and typed in the command for an audio replay.

The tape started. Unmistakably the same voice, but this time clear and confident. "Yes sir. I must say I was honored to be picked as flight engineer, and as a real American I plan to do my best. We're going to beat the Russkies to the moon so quickly they won't have time to say 'black market borscht.'" There was cheering from the crowd, and the selection faded out.

Lois jumped up and stood over Jimmy's shoulder. "Are you sure that's right? My god, I remember that interview, from when I was a little girl. Johnny Sartorius ... race car driver, engineer, astronaut ... I even had a poster of him in my bedroom!"

Clark grinned, "Oh yeah?" but then he turned serious. "Lois, when was that interview made?"

Lois glanced at him, and slid the mouse over to the selection to get more info. "The interview was made in 1961 ... but the Dark Claw recording we've been listening to was recorded years after that ... and Johnny Sartorius *died* in 1961 along with the pilot, Ben Jensen, when the moon ship crashed."

Jimmy gasped, "Jeepers, Miss Lane, what're you suggesting?"

Bettey pondered. "I don't know ... yet. But I know just the man to ask. I think it's time to speak to one of the two survivors of the lunar expedition ... the person who captained the rocket, Reed Luthor."

* * *

Bettey said, "Thank you again for agreeing to an interview, Mr. Luthor."

Reed Luthor leaned back and smiled indulgently. "My pleasure, Ms. Lane. I've always appreciated your and Mr. Blake's by-lines at the Planetary Bugle." Next to him, his wife, the famed physicist Sue Phillips-Luthor, squeezed his hand affectionately. They made an appealing couple. Reed's receding hairline and red hair tinted with grey only made him seem more distinguished. Sue appeared twenty years younger than her actual age, her blonde hair and fashion-model looks still striking. "Now ... next question?"

Bettey smiled back, "Well, I'd like to backtrack a bit. I know this is a sensitive issue, but I have some questions about the 1961 flight. Would you ... "she was interrupted as Luthor stood up abruptly.

Reed said, "Enough. This interview was purportedly about ReedCorp.'s charitable work, not to dredge up old scandals. I think our interview is at an end, Ms. Lane."

Bettey Lane said, "But ... "

Sue shook her head dismissively. "I think you had best leave, Ms. Lane." She stood up as well and escorted Bettey to the door. Bettey sighed, made her apologies, and did her best to depart gracefully under the circumstances.

After she closed the door, Sue walked back to sit next to her husband on the sofa. "What do you think?"

Reed scowled. "Note the subtext of the interview, scattered throughout the more innocuous questions: our Canadian investments, our Gotham offices, our biotechnology research ... she did everything but mention the Weapon X Project by name. There's been a leak, she can't have arrived at this by accident."

Sue raised an eyebrow, "Do you think she knows?"

Reed shook his head. "I doubt it. We covered our tracks too well. But she's not what concerns me. You know as well as I do that where Bettey Lane or Clark Blake go, Thor-El is soon to follow. Fortunately I have been preparing for this so-called 'Norse god'."

Sue asked, "Do you think it's time to involve Team Four?"

Reed thought for a bit. "I think it's time for a test of his capabilities."

The pair of them stood, and entered a corner of the room, where Reed used his key to activate a private elevator. They travelled down to a sub-basement far below the city streets. The doors opened to reveal a walkway which ran alongside a long series of glass windows. They looked upon a room which seemed to take up several city blocks, and which contained every amenity known to man. The two of them walked until they found what they were looking for: the inhabitants of the space. The first was muscular bald man with purple skin and dressed in a bikini bottom, the second was a smaller, athletic blond man with glowing, transparent skin through which you could see his skeleton and dressed in red tights with yellow trim.

Reed spoke into a microphone, "Hello Ben, Johnny."

The purple man looked up and spied the couple, "Hey Stretch. You got an assignment for us?"

Reed nodded, "Sue will explain. I'm not to accompany you this time."

Sue laid down on one of a series of couches which lined the viewing hallway and closed her eyes. Her brow furrowed in concentration. Soon after, a closet in the wall of the living area opened from the inside. What walked out was a curious sight: a blue minidress and boots, with black trim, filled out quite attractively, and a matching blue helmet with a fin on top. But the body wearing the outfit was completely invisible. The figure walked over and apparently kissed Ben and Johnny on the cheek. "You'll like this one, boys." Sue's voice, emitted from the space under the helmet, held a smile. "The Invisible Destroyer, the Human Phosphorescent, and the Parasite-Thing are going after ... Thor-El!"

The purple man, which had been Ben Jensen, cracked his knuckles in anticipation and grinned happily.

* * *

"Look, up in the air ... "

Thor-El gave a magnanimous wave at the Metropolis population as they cheered him. He soared through the skies effortlessly, hammer strapped at his waist, super-vision and hearing scanning the ground below for crimes. They provided no warning, however, when he found his flight halted by an invisible force field.

Thor-El quickly scanned the surrounding area, spotting the three odd figures on a nearby rooftop. "So that's it, is it?" he muttered, and withdrew his hammer to start smashing away at the field. He quickly found himself dragged down to join the odd trio, and released.

The Parasite-Thing touched a guard rail and his skin turned to steel. "Thor-El. How ya doing?"

Thor-El scowled and settled down into a battle stance. "Fine. Are you three supposed to be the freak show come to town?"

The Human Phosphorescent laughed, "Consider us your graduate studies." He emitted a blast of radioactive flame towards Thor-El. The latter just shook his head, and whirled his hammer to create a mini-tornado which funneled the flame upwards and away from him. The tactic backfired on him as the flames were suddenly reflected back toward him by a force shield. Thor-El recoiled from the heat, then flew backwards, looping around to land aside his attacker.

Thor-El was ready to throw a punch, but the Parasite-Thing grabbed his face and started to absorb his powers. Amazingly, Thor-El started to revert to Clark Blake!

Feeling his strength ebb, Thor-El thrust all his remaining strength into a massive push, freeing himself from the purple man's attack. He started to get his powers slowly back from his hammer. It was barely in time, as he soon found himself buffeted by an invisible force.

Fighting to keep his concentration, Thor-El summoned a bolt of lightning which struck the rooftop. The attack stopped as the Invisible Destroyer's attention was distracted.

The Parasite-Thing went for the attack again, his strength nearly equal to Thor-El's now. Thor-El threw his hammer at the purple creature, who sidestepped it easily. The pair wrestled, and Thor-El felt the other's strength overcoming his own. The Parasite-Thing was about to defeat him when the hammer circled around and slammed into his back.

"Do I have to absorb you again?" he said. Thor-El gestured, and a storm cloud flooded the combatants. Steam filled the roof as water evaporated off the Human Phosphorescent. The Parasite-Thing absorbed the steam instead. Now made of vapor, Ben Jensen was blown into the atmosphere by the "Norse god's" super-breath.

Thor-El flew towards the Invisible Destroyer. As he grabbed her, she disappeared; he was left holding empty clothing. He turned his attention to the Human Phosphorescent.

Miles away, in one of ReedCorp.'s laboratories, Sue Phillips-Luthor woke up. "Reed!" she screamed. "He's too powerful, get them out of there!"

Reed Luthor nodded, "I'm on it."

Thor-El advanced menacingly on the Human Phosphorescent, whose flame blasts were buffeted away by Mjolnir. As he reached his opponent, the sky darkened. He looked up, and saw what appeared to be an immense flying saucer. Quickly, a small mechanism extended from the bottom; before Thor-El could even react, his opponent disappeared from his grip, along with the Invisible Destroyer's uniform and the vapors which had once been the Parasite-Thing.

Thor-El swung his hammer to attack the ship, but suddenly the section of roof under his feet vanished. He fell through to the next floor, and the rest of the roof collapsed down on top of him.

Angrily, he soared out into the skies, ready for battle, but the ship was gone. He howled in anger. "This is not over, whoever you are. Not by a long shot."

Miles away, Reed Luthor shook his head. "No, no it isn't," he said to himself.

The end ... for now.

Thor-El= Superman + Thor  
Clark Blake= Clark Kent + Don Blake  
Reed Luthor= Lex Luthor + Reed Richards  
Invisible Destroyer= Invisible Destroyer + Invisible Girl  
Human Phosphorescent= Dr. Phosphorus + Human Torch  
Parasite-Thing= The Parasite + The Thing  
Team Four= Team Luthor + Fantastic Four  
Bettey Lane= Lois Lane + Betty Brant  
Jimmy Parker= Jimmy Olsen + Peter Parker  
Planetary Bugle= Daily Planet + Daily Bugle


End file.
